Spring untangler



Oct. 10, 1967 J. HEYMANN SPRING UNTANGLER Filed Sept. 29, 1965 SPRING LEVEL INVENTOR. JOSEPH HE YMA NN F7 TTOENE Y United States Patent O 3,346,305 SPRING UNTANGLER Joseph Heymann, Yonkers, N.Y., assignor to Tiros Plastics Corporation, Yonkers, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Sept. 29, 1965, Ser. No. 491,117

7 Claims. (Cl. 302-2) The present invention relates to a device which untangles and separates out individual springs from a mass of springs as supplied in bulk shipments.

Small springs are supplied in bulk by spring makers in boxes or bags. The individual springs entangle each other and form masses of entwined springs. The user of the springs must sort out those springs which are free and separate the tangled masses into individual springs. Previously, this work of sorting and untangling has been done by hand. The time spent in hand sorting adds to the cost of the springs and slows the users operations. Prior attempts to solve the problem have been directed to various packaging techniques by the spring makers which were designed to prevent entanglement. Such techniques included loading tubes with the springs in an end to end relationship, adhering the springs in a spaced pattern to an adhesive strip, and weaving a sinuous strip of paper between and around each spring as it was placed in a box. All of the prior attempts were expensive and required labor or costly packaging machinery.

The objectives of the present invention are to provide a device which will untangle and sort out single springs from a tangled mass of springs, which device is simple, inexpensive, operates at low cost and without attention, and supplies single springs at a rate sufiicient to satisfy the spring users needs.

In accordance with the present invention, an air tight container is fitted with an air nozzle, an outlet discharge pipe, at small channel member and an internal cone shaped structure.

The cone causes the air to swirl in a vortex so that it constantly picks up and throws down masses of tangled springs. The channel acts to guide individual springs separated from the tangled mass to the outlet discharge. When charged with a load of tangled springs, the air blast from the nozzle separates and lifts single springs to the discharge, thus supplying the user with individual springs.

One embodiment of the present invention is shown in the attached drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of the device of the present invention with part broken away to shown the interior of the device.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along line 33 in FIGURE 1.

The device of the present invention includes a cylindrical container 1, tilted at an angle with respect to the floor. Legs 5 and 6 support the container at this angle. The container is closed at the top by a hinged lid 2 which is provided with a conventional rubber gasket to form an air-tight seal. Hinge 4 and latch 3 position and secure the lid.

Within the container 1, a metal member 10 generally in the shape of a cone or a funnel is fixed to the container bottom. This funnel-shaped member 10 is off-set with respect to the cylindrical axis of the container such that the lower edge of member 10 nearly touches the inside wall of the container at a point mid-way between the high and low sides of the tilted container. Its top is closed.

An air inlet nozzle 7 passes through the container wall at a position diametrically opposed to, i.e. about 180,

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the point where the member 10 nearly touches the container wall. The nozzle is directed in a plane horizontal to the floor between the member 10 and the container Wall toward the low side of the container. The nozzle 7 is supplied with air by a supply tube 8 from an air compressor.

A discharge outlet pipe 9 is located generally perpendicular t0 the upper portion of the low side of the container wall near the lid 2, i.e. from the inlet nozzle 7. Discharge pipe 9 is welded or otherwise fixed to the wall with its inner end flush with the inside surface of the container. The pipe 9 is of a size which will pass springs with ease.

Surrounding the inner end of the discharge pipe 9 is a channel member 11. This channel member 11 serves to guide springs toward and into the outlet pipe. One end of the channel member 11 is bent down about the discharge pipe to further guide the springs into the outlet 9. The channel member is wider than the length of the spring being sorted.

A small bafile 12 in the form of a vertical plate protrudes inwardly from the container wall and is located opposite to and above the level of nozzle 7. This baffie 12 serves to break apart groups of attached springs as they whirl about the container.

In operation, a box of springs as received from the spring manufacturer is dumped into the container 1. The tilt of the cylindrical container causes the springs to surround the funnel-shaped member 10 in a more or less horizontal layer.

The lid 2 is closed and secured by latch 3 thus sealing the container. Air at adequate pressure is supplied through pipe 8 to inlet nozzle 7. The air blast from the nozzle 7 is directed toward the deeper end of the layer of springs at the low side of the container. The air blast from this nozzle entrains springs and whirls them about the container. A vortex of moving air is established and the single or free springs are carried in a spiral path about the container upwardly toward the discharge outlet 9. The free springs are guided by the channel member 11 to the discharge outlet. Springs which are tangled with another are too heavy to be carried to the outlet 9. These groups of two or more springs whirl about the container and tumble into the wall repeatedly. They impinge upon the baflle 12. The random nature of the tumbling and of the striking of the baflle plate causes the springs to disengage themselves from their groups, thus freeing single springs which are then carried by the vortex of air to the outlet. When all the springs have been reduced to single springs and carried to the outlet, the air is shut off and the container recharged with springs.

I have found that the vortex is most easily established, and requires a minimum of air supply when a conical or funnel-shaped member 10 is included within the container. The funnel shape helps maintain this spiral air motion throughout the container. By off-setting this member 10 away from the inlet nozzle and toward the container Wall, the air stream with entrained springs is pinched between the container wall and the off-set member 10. This pinching of the air stream assists in lifting the springs to the discharge outlet.

For springs in the order of 4; inch by inch, such as are used in the valves of pressurized spray cans, I have found that a container about a foot in diameter and about 18 inches high, tilted about 20 with respect to the floor, and having an inner funnel member about a foot high and 11 inches in base diameter operates with optimum efiiciency.

It will be apparent that many modifications may be made within the scope and spirit of my invention and,

accordingly I' do not wish to be limited otherwise than as indicated by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A spring untanglin-g device comprising a closeable fluid-tight cylindrical container having a discharge outlet in the upper portion of the container, the bottom of the container being tilted away from the horizontal toward the discharge outlet, and having a substantially conical member joined to the container bottom with the apex of the cone extending upwardly and the base of the cone occupying a major portion of the area of the container bottom, and means to pump fluid into the lower portion of the container through an inlet nozzle directed circumferentially about the container to establish a spiral fluid flow path for conveying springs to the discharge outlet.

2. The spring untanglin-g device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the axis of the conical member is oflset from the cylindrical axis of the container.

3. The spring untangling device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the inner end of the discharge outlet is located at one end of a generally horizontal guiding channel.

4. The spring untangling device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the conical member 'is .a frustum of a cone surmounted by a cylinder.

5. The spring untangling device as claimed in claim 4 wherein the axis of the conical member is offset from the axis of container in a direction diametrically opposite to the inlet nozzle and said nozzle is directed between said conical member and the inner wall of the container.

*6. A spring untangling device comprising a cylindrical container tilted with respect to the horizontal and having a loading opening, a fluid-tight closeable lid for said opening, a conical member fixed to and occupying a major portion of the bottom of the cylindrical 'con-' tainer, an air inlet nozzle directed between said conical member and the lower portion of the inner wall of the container in a horizontal plane, a discharge outlet located through theu-pper portion of the wall of the container, a guiding ramp terminating at the discharge outlet, and a vertical bafiie protruding radially inward from' the container wall.

7. A spring untanglin-g device comprising a closeable cylindrical chamber for receiving a charge of springs to be untangled, means to introduce a rapidly moving stream of fluid into the lower portion of the chamber, means within the'chamber extending upwardly from the chamher bottom, means to direct the fluid stream. across the charge of springs to entrain springs and impinge them against the chamber walls and to convey the springs in an upward spiral path about the walls of the chamber, means in the upper portion of the chamber to intercept and dis charge separated springs from the chamber.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,271,834 7/1918 Baum et al. 214-8.5 2,258,125 10/1941 Robinson 302-53 2,657,812 11/1953 Fox 221278 2,760,679 8/1956 Chadderton et al. 2l4--8.5 2,850,214 9/1958 Rooney 222193 3,118,564 1/1964 Vokes 2211 ANDRES H. NIELSEN, Primary Examiner. 

1. A SPRING UNTANGLING DEVICE COMPRISING A CLOSEABLE FLUID-TIGHT CYLINDRICAL CONTAINER HAVING DISCHARGE OUTLET IN THE UPPER PORTION OF THE CONTAINER, THE BOTTOM OF THE CONTAINER BEING TILTED AWAY FROM THE HORIZONTAL TOWARD THE DISCHARGE OUTLET, AND HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY CONICAL MEMBER JOINED TO THE CONTAINER BOTTOM WITH THE APEX OF THE CONE EXTENDING UPWARDLY AND THE BASE OF THE CONE OCCUPYING A MAJOR PORTION OF THE AREA OF THE CONTAINER BOTTOM, AND MEANS TO PUMP FLUID INTO THE LOWER PORTION OF THE CONTAINER THROUGH AN INLET NOZZLE DIRECTED CIRCUMFERENTIALLY ABOUT THE CONTAINER TO EXTABLISH A SPIRAL FLUID FLOW PATH FOR CONVEYING SPRINGS TO THE DISCHARGE OUTLET. 